title: Molecular and Clinical Characterization of Giardia duodenalis Infection in Preschool Children from Lisbon, Portugal.
abstract: Giardia duodenalis is the most prevalent intestinal protozoan infection especially in children. In Portugal scarce data are available relative to this infection in preschoolers. The present study was conducted from April to July 2009 in public preschools in Lisbon enrolling 316 children. Stool examination was performed through microscopy. Molecular analysis was conducted in all positive samples for G. duodenalis in order to determine the assemblage and subassemblage of this parasite. Eight of the preschoolers studied children (2.5%, 8/316) were infected with G. duodenalis. Additionally the brother of one of the infected children was also infected. Genotyping analysis targeting ssu-rRNA and β -giardin loci revealed six infections with assemblage A and 3 with assemblage B. Sub-assemblage determination was possible in four of the samples, with three A2 and one A3. The limited number of cases precluded an association of a determined symptom with an assemblage. The data presented here show the relevance of considering G. duodenalis analysis in children with intestinal complaints even in developed countries.
authors.affiliation: Unidade de Clínica Tropical e Centro de Malária e Doenças Tropicais-LA, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: Filipa Santana
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Rita Alexandre Dos Santos Soares de Bellegarde
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Machado Sá da Bandeira
authors.forename: Cláudia Alexandra Cecílio de Sampaio Ferreira
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Constantino
authors.forename: Ana Maria Teixeira Duarte Cancela
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: da Fonseca
authors.forename: Joana da Graça Matias
authors.initials: Jda G
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: Rúben Miguel Lopes
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.forename: Jorge Luís Marques da Silva
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Atouguia
authors.forename: Sónia Chavarria Alves Ferreira
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Centeno-Lima